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Facunda Ganesh
SEATTLE -As part of his Downtown Activation Plan, Mayor Bruce Harrell has submitted new legislation to the City Council aimed at removing regulatory barriers for converting existing buildings from commercial to residential uses. The proposed changes aim to make it easier and more straightforward for property owners to convert existing structures into residential use, supporting housing development in the city, particularly in and near downtown.
Efforts to facilitate office-to-residential conversions and streamline regulatory requirements for residential uses were identified as key legislative priorities for downtown revitalization. Last summer, the Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) launched a call for proposals inviting design teams and building owners to submit ideas for repurposing existing office space into new residential and commercial uses. This design competition sparked the creation of innovative, sustainable, and feasible concepts aimed at activating downtown areas, optimizing urban assets, and addressing specific neighborhood needs. Moreover, the competition revealed significant insights and recommendations that influenced the development of these proposed legislative changes.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner condemned a plan by Houston ISD's new superintendent to convert dozens of school libraries to what he calls "team centers." Superintendent Mike Miles' plan would involve the removal of librarians from the centers, though Miles says students would still have access to books. The centers would also serve a disciplinary function for students who are disruptive in class.
"You cannot have a system where you're closing libraries for some schools in certain neighborhoods, while more-affluent neighborhood schools have libraries that are open and stocked with books and other resources," he said.
The mayor said that Miles' plan would reverse the progress previous HISD leadership had made in expanding library services throughout the district, while punishing both disruptive and well-behaved students alike.
"Under former Superintendent Millard House," Turner said, "HISD was putting a librarian at every school through a five-year plan. If HISD reverses course and removes librarians and closes libraries now, some students may never develop a love and appreciation for reading. And we do not want our schools to look like prisons."
In anticipation of Turner's remarks, Miles issued a statement saying, "I cannot and will not govern the state's largest school district by press conference or press release. The time for politics is over, and we will not be distracted by intentional misinformation."
"I have committed most of my professional life in improving the quality of education and the quality of life for students, not just in HISD but across this state," Turner said, referring to his career as a state representative. "No one can take action in this city as though you are the general and you are less than your soldiers."
Turner said Miles' plan would not stand. He left unsaid how he would or could stop it. But others who joined Turner at the podium indicated they would apply outside pressure to halt the initiative. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who is running to succeed Turner as mayor, indicated the possibility of federal intervention.
"Eliminating...the libraries are a direct hit on Brown v. Board of Education, which in 1954 decided to integrate our schools. It is a violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act dealing with accommodations," Jackson Lee said. "This speaks loudly to the Department of Education...and the Department of Justice, who has indicated many things to me that this is getting their attention."
Jordan Ruidas, left, and Katie Austin adjust a sign on Kaanapali Beach in Lahaina, Hawaii on Wednesday, Nov.14, 2023. A group of Lahaina wildfire survivors is vowing to camp on a popular resort beach until the mayor uses his emergency powers to shut down unpermitted vacation rentals and make the properties available for residents in desperate need of housing. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)
Upside down Hawaiian flags, a sign of distress, blow in the wind at a protest in front of resort hotels on Kaanapali Beach in Lahaina, Hawaii on Wednesday, Nov.14, 2023. A group of Lahaina wildfire survivors is vowing to camp on a popular resort beach until the mayor uses his emergency powers to shut down unpermitted vacation rentals and make the properties available for residents in desperate need of housing. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)
A sign rests at a protest camp in front of resort hotels and restaurants along Kaanapali Beach in Lahaina, Hawaii on Wednesday, Nov.14, 2023. A group of Lahaina wildfire survivors is vowing to camp on a popular resort beach until the mayor uses his emergency powers to shut down unpermitted vacation rentals and make the properties available for residents in desperate need of housing. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)
Jordan Ruidas feeds her son at the Fishing for Housing protest camp on Kaanapali Beach in Lahaina, Hawaii on Wednesday, Nov.14, 2023. A group of Lahaina wildfire survivors is vowing to camp on a popular resort beach until the mayor uses his emergency powers to shut down unpermitted vacation rentals and make the properties available for residents in desperate need of housing. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)
Jordan Ruidas, left, speaks to people at the Fishing for Housing camp on Kaanapali Beach in Lahaina, Hawaii on Wednesday, Nov.14, 2023. A group of Lahaina wildfire survivors is vowing to camp on a popular resort beach until the mayor uses his emergency powers to shut down unpermitted vacation rentals and make the properties available for residents in desperate need of housing. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)
Upside down Hawaiian flags, a sign of distress, blow in the wind at a Fishing for Housing protest in front of resort hotels on Kaanapali Beach in Lahaina, Hawaii on Wednesday, Nov.14, 2023. A group of Lahaina wildfire survivors is vowing to camp on a popular resort beach until the mayor uses his emergency powers to shut down unpermitted vacation rentals and make the properties available for residents in desperate need of housing. (AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)
Nara Boone speaks during a news conference on Friday, Nov. 10, 2023 at Kaanapali Beach in Lahaina, Hawaii, with others participating in the Fishing for Housing demonstration. A group of Lahaina wildfire survivors is vowing to camp on a popular resort beach until the mayor uses his emergency powers to shut down unpermitted vacation rentals and make the properties available for residents in desperate need of housing. (Matthew Thayer/The Maui News via AP)
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